A New Experience
by twilight4ever1
Summary: Bella is going to an all boys boarding school to gain a new experience for her book. But she has to keep her gender a secret. Unfortunately for her, she has a roomate, Edward Cullen. Will he find out, and if he does, what will he do? All human.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer- Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

**Prologue**

I sat across from the principal, and he was looking incredulous. What was wrong with wanting to gain a new experience in order to write a novel? Then again, it was an all boy's school, so if someone besides the principal found out, it would be a problem.

"So, what do you think?" I asked.

"Miss Swan," he said. "You do realize that your safety is at risk if any of the boys find out."

"But if my story gets published, then I will mention your school, and how nice it was. Of course, if anyone finds out, I will go straight home."

"It's good for publicity, and you have won many writing competitions, so I suppose you can try it," he said reluctantly.

"Thank you so much, sir!" I said, excited.

"And your parents have approved of this?" He verified.

"My mom said yes since she travels a lot, and I never see my father, so it's okay."

Talking about my family was depressing. I knew that they didn't care about me all that much, but it was still a shame to have them say yes to me going away so easily.

"Besides, weren't you just telling me that you need more students with good grades? I can assure you that I have a 4.0"

He seemed to be shaking his head.

"Ms. Swan, if anything goes wrong, I do not want to be held responsible."

"Yes," I agreed. "It was my idea, so I will take full responsibility if I get hurt for some reason. Besides, I doubt that the boys here are violent, and I requested to have a room to myself."

"What are you going to do about your appearance?" He asked me.

"My appearance? Oh, I'm going to get my hair cut really short and get a wig. Of course, pair it with glasses and baggy clothes and you have a boy." I was so proud of myself. The principal had seen how organized I was, and agreed.

"All right then, you will receive your schedule and room number in a week. Please remember that your scholarship will only last if you receive excellent grades."

I nodded, excited. Yes, I would do well!

"Well, thank you for all of your time, Mr. Franklin, I will see you later." And with one last wave, I walked out the door, carefree.

My time at Forks High School was going to be great! It wasn't a really well known boarding school, but it was good enough. What could go wrong? I was athletic, so I could keep up with the boys in gym, and knew karate.

Yes, I was prepared. The only thing to do would be to keep it a secret, and that was easily done.


	2. The Unexpected Roommate

**Disclaimer- Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

I happily walked back to my hotel room, smiling the whole way. My book would mostly be humor, and I was sure that boarding school was going to be fine. Then I remembered something; my hair.

That's right! I wasn't going to get a buzz cut or anything, but I would need to get it short enough so that the wig would be able to fit.

How was I going to get a stylist to cut it the right way though? It's not like I could tell anyone about what I was doing. Someone would report it to the school, and I would get thrown out for sure.

I was looking through the streets when I came across what I wanted "Haircuts Made Simple."

That was perfect, there weren't too many people in it, and when I entered no one looked up except for one woman who didn't have any customers.

"Can I help you miss?" She asked politely.

"Yes," I responded.

"What style would you like? Your hair is so nice, there's a lot that you could do with it. Maybe cutting three inches with layers, would you like that?"

I was about to say yes, but I remembered my original mission here. If this lady wanted my hair to look more girly, she was going to be sadly disappointed.

"Actually, I would like to get it cut, maybe chin length," I said, feeling sadder by the minute.

She looked surprised, and stared at my face. Her expression was one of confusion, but she didn't seem disappointed or anything.

"Well, that is a lot of hair, and I think I could make something that looks nice. Are you sure that's what you want?"

"Yes, but just a simple cut, and maybe you could add layers." Would that be easier to hide and pin down?

I already had the wig picked out, and it looked exactly like a boy's cut.

I waited while the woman cut off all of my hair, and after half an hour, she showed my new look, and I jumped back.

"I, wow, thank you. It's certainly different," I managed to say calmly.

I still looked like a girl, and it worried me in case I ended up losing my wig or something. What if I got my hair cut to look exactly like a boy's haircut. It would save me a ton of time in the morning, and be less stressful.

"Is there something wrong?" She asked me.

"No, but could you make it shorter, not too short, but maybe something that would look like a medium length boy's haircut? I need something that looks a little more boyish, it's for a school play."

She looked at me strangely, and finally shrugged. Hopefully she wouldn't suspect anything.

"Alright, I will try my best. I usually cut women's hair, and not men's, so I can't guarantee that it will turn out the way you want it to."

"No problem, just try your best," I said.

I was definitely giving this woman a good tip, simply for being able to handle weird customers. She was taking everything so coolly, and the best thing was that she was trying to do her job correctly.

After another half hour, I looked back into the mirror, and stared. It was amazing what just one haircut could do to a face. Honestly, I looked like a boy right now. If it weren't for my girl's clothes and shoes, and if someone saw me from a distance, I bet that I could pass for a boy.

My hair wasn't too short either, but not too long, the perfect length. This woman had done exactly what I'd wanted her to do, but she looked worried.

"I'm sorry, is this close to what you wanted?" She asked, concerned.

I smiled. "It's perfect, thank you! It couldn't have turned out better."

She grinned seeing my approval. "Well, it is the first time that a female customer has requested a boy's haircut, so I wasn't too sure what I should do."

"Thanks again. How much? That probably took the time of two haircuts, right?"

"Well, we can negotiate that if you want to. One haircut is twenty, so…"

I cut her off before she could continue; there was no way that I was going to pay her for only one hair cut.

"Okay, do you think that fifty five would cover it?" I asked.

"Um, miss, this is way too much, I can't accept…"

"Please, take it. This covers the cost of two haircuts, and a fifteen dollar tip," I said.

"Alright, if you're sure. Please, come again, this was probably the most interesting appointment so far," she said, laughing.

"Well, I will be sure to recommend you to the director of my school play. Have a nice day."

So, I waved, and walked off, continuing to my hotel room. What was it going to be like in a week? It was currently Monday, and I was still feeling pretty confident. This haircut did scare me a little though, and I could barely recognize myself, but it was all part of the plan.

For the past month, I had been studying boys' behavior, how they addressed each other, and most importantly, how to speak in a deep voice. I had practiced enough so that I sounded somewhat like a boy.

I wasn't exactly flat chested, but wasn't too obvious either, which was why I thought that baggy clothes would be best. Now the wig was no longer needed, and I was getting more organized.

Since I was rooming alone, I wouldn't have to worry about shampoo and stuff being hidden. It wasn't like people would be randomly coming into the room. Whenever I wasn't in class, I could safely act like a girl.

Then, I thought about something. Wouldn't it get lonely eventually? I had always been an introvert, but wherever I went, I usually made a few friends. If that is what a character would experience, then I guess that's what I would write.

The Marriott hotel where I was staying appeared, and I took the stairs, not wanting a lot of people to see my face. It would probably be best to keep a low profile for the rest of the week.

**1 week later…**

I had been constantly calling the concierge to see if I had received any mail, and finally, today, a week later, they had received an envelope addressed to Bella Swan.

I ran down the stairs, eagerly. I couldn't wait to see what my schedule was; assuming that it was all of the classes that I'd chosen.

"Thanks a lot," I said, before quickly walking off.

I waited to open the envelope until I got to my room, just in case something fell out. As I opened it, I saw a letter in handwriting, which seemed strange. As I looked more closely, I saw that it was from Principal Franklin.

_Dear Ms. Swan,_

_First, I would like to congratulate on getting accepted into the school, but more importantly, I would like to wish you good luck. The boys should be well behaved, and it should be safe. _

_Please, if anything is wrong, or someone finds out, it would be best to come see me. I will do my best to keep you safe, but as I said before, I cannot guarantee anything. If you wish to leave the school at any time, then please let me know, and I will send the grades that you received here, to whatever school you are going to._

_Your new name that you requested has been accepted into the system, and we do not have any other Mike Johnsons in our school. It was a good idea to pick a common name, and I trust that you have everything else organized._

_Welcome to __Forks__High School__, and I hope that you receive the experiences that will help you with your new book. Perhaps, if everything goes well, then I might even make the school coed, and you could come next year if you enjoy it. _

_I think that having more girls might be pleasant, and give the school a calmer atmosphere in general. _

_Again, please consult me if anyone threatens you, or harms you, and I will do my best to stop it. Generally, if a boy goes too far, then it will most likely result in expulsion. Hopefully our school will meet your needs and expectations._

_Good luck,_

_Principal Franklin_

I read the letter again, and stared at it. It seemed like Principal Franklin genuinely cared about my safety, and that made me feel reassured.

Well, it was time to go to Forks High School, and find room 232. Being prepared was what I was best at, and I doubted that schoolwork would be much harder. Besides, wasn't this like going to college, and getting away from the family?

I quickly changed. I wore a loose sweatshirt that was about two sizes too big, and pulled on baggy jeans. There was no way that I was wearing boxers; I couldn't make myself do it.

I messed my hair up a little, pulled on a baseball cap, and paired the whole outfit with aviator sunglasses.

Last were my new Nike shoes. They looked a little too small to be a guy's foot, but I didn't have a choice. If I ended up falling during gym or something, and my clothes got loose, then I was in trouble.

I looked back at myself in the full length mirror, and sure enough, I looked like a boy. Wow! I didn't recognize myself at all. If I'd been on the street and saw myself, then I would have thought that the person was a boy. One of the main reasons why I'd picked this school was because it didn't require uniforms.

I took the elevator this time, checked out, and got into my Honda. The short drive was pleasant, and once I saw the school, I could only stare. It looked very fancy, and the campus was fairly large. **(For this story, the school will have more students and look a little different.) **

I walked in the halls up to the room and ran into Mr. Franklin. He looked at me, and nodded.

"Mr. Franklin," I said in a deep voice that I'd perfected. "Nice to see you again."

He turned back, and I took off my sunglasses. "Wow, Ms…I mean, Mike, good job. I didn't recognize you, and the voice is very good. Welcome."

"Thanks sir," I said, continuing.

"All of you go find your rooms now, classes start tomorrow, and I don't want anyone to be late," he snapped. Was Mr. Franklin really strict?

According to the map, I was in the right dorm building, and my room was on the second floor.

I took the elevator, and as I passed other boys, they didn't seem to notice anything either because they were too busy talking or simply didn't care.

"Room 232," I whispered once I saw it. The door was easy enough to unlock, and I slowly stepped inside.

There were two double beds, two dressers, and two desks. Thank god it didn't have a communal bathroom. Wasn't I supposed to have a room to myself? Oh well, there was no one else inside, so it didn't matter.

I sat down on the bed to the far left since it was farthest away from the door, and started putting my clothes away. I left my underwear in my suitcase in case someone came in, which wasn't likely, but better safe than sorry.

**2 hours later…**

No one had come yet, so I started to feel better. The school was clearly reliable for having considered my request.

All thoughts of how good the school was were interrupted when I heard another key in the door. I quickly pulled my sunglasses back on, and saw the door open.

A boy came in, a gorgeous boy with green eyes and reddish brown hair. Though right now, it didn't matter how good looking he was. He had a suitcase, an expensive one, and stared at me.

"Hey man. Did you request a room to yourself too?" He asked me. I nodded because I was too shocked to speak.

"So did I. The same thing happened last year. Guess they had too many students who applied. Since we both requested the same living situation, they must have thought that we would get along."

"Y-yeah," I said. My voice sounded more like a girl's now.

"Um, are you okay?"

"Yes."

"I'm Edward," he said, extending his hand.

I didn't know what to say. What the hell was I going to do now?

**Hope you liked this chapter! As always, reviews are appreciated. **


	3. Advice

**Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

I had no idea what to do, I was literally frozen. This was a disaster. Hadn't I requested a room to myself? Wait a minute; it had been a request, and didn't guarantee anything. How could I have been so stupid?

Edward was staring at me, a slight frown forming on his face. I had trouble looking away; he really was good looking. His hand was still extended, and he finally dropped it after a minute.

"Right," he said. "Well, what's your name?"

My name. That's right, what was my name? I could barely think straight. Mike Newton suddenly appeared in my mind, and I remembered what it was; Mike.

"M-Mike," I stuttered. I needed to get a grip; I sounded too much like a girl.

"When did you get here?" He asked me.

This was too suspicious. Why was he asking me so many questions? I needed to get out of here, and fast before he discovered my secret.

"I was just on my way out, bro," I responded quickly. "See ya."

He was staring at my face looking...concerned?

"Are you okay? You seem a bit pale, and you're wearing sunglasses."

This wasn't good. I really needed to get out; he was already suspicious.

"The light is too bright," I said. He was shaking his head.

"Then how would going outside help anything? It's really sunny, which is surprising for Forks, but..."

I cut him off. I didn't know if he was saying this out of concern or because he wanted more information, but whatever it was, it was dangerous.

"Bye."

I ran out the door, slamming it behind me, almost running into a guy in the hall. He turned around, glaring.

"Watch where you're going, dude," he said, angry. I nodded, not bothering to apologize.

Thank god my car was in sight; it had to be the best thing I'd seen today. Okay, I needed to figure out what to do. So, basically, I now had a roommate who was already suspicious, and classes hadn't even started. My suitcase still had its lock on, so for now, that wasn't an issue. Then again, that Edward guy looked strong, so I was sure that if he was absolutely determined to open it, then he could.

What the hell was I going to do? The most logical thing would be to go to Principal Franklin, and tell him that I couldn't stay here anymore. I could see myself coming home to my mom's lecture about how stupid I was.

Wasn't there someone that I could talk to? Or maybe, I could simply tell Edward my situation, and hope that he wouldn't tell the whole school. But that was stupid; I would be alone in a room with a boy who knew that I was a girl. Maybe he was some kind of criminal or something.

The hairdresser. That woman had put up with a weird customer, me, and I was sure that if there was anyone to talk to, then it was her. But she was a complete stranger. Then again, my mom would tell me to give up, and my dad would just say "I told you so."

Right, so I was off to see her again. How had I gotten myself into this situation? I was an idiot, a complete moron. Within ten minutes, I was at my destination.

I pulled off my sunglasses, hat, and changed to a tank top under my sweatshirt. I parked in a dark area, and changed my jeans. How was this woman going to react?

"Hi," I said as I entered, hearing the sound of the bell ringing when I opened the door. She looked at me, and I could see recognition on her face.

"Hey, you're the girl who came in a few hours ago, right?"

"Yes, I need your help," I said.

"Sure, I'll be happy to. After all, you gave me too much money, so I owe you a favor." She was smiling.

"Actually, you might not believe me, but I need some advice."

"I have time since I'm on break right now." She was sitting down, and I noticed a small bite sized snicker bar in a bowl which I assumed was for customers. I quickly grabbed it and stuffed it in my mouth.

"Look, I'm not supposed to be telling anyone this, so you have to keep it a secret. You're the only one who knows about my haircut, so I figured you would be the best person to talk to."

"What is it? By the way, I'm Chrissie. How about you?"

"Bella. Right now though, I have to get used to the name Mike," I said quietly.

She looked kind of surprised, but kept calm.

"Cool, um, nice to meet you. Why do you need to be called Mike?"

I took a deep breath.

"Well, I want to be an author. Do you know where Forks High School is?" She nodded. "I'm currently a student there, and pretending to be a boy."

"You what?" She exclaimed.

I kind of figured that would be her reaction; I would have done the exact same thing. Who could blame her?

"Yeah, I'm writing a book about a girl who pretends to be a boy, and to be able to understand the experience fully, I decided to do exactly what she did."

"Wow! That's either incredibly stupid or really brave. But what do you need help with? Has someone already found out who you are?" She asked, shocked.

"No, but I requested a room to myself, and..." She cut me off.

"Well, that's good, but I still don't understand what you were thinking, do you have any idea how dangerous that is?"

"Chrissie," I said, looking directly at her. "I would have been fine if I didn't have a roommate."

She put her manicured nails to her mouth, and was speechless.

"What are you going to do?" She asked after a couple minutes.

"That's kind of why I came here, to ask someone for help. My parents are useless, and I don't want to give up before classes have even started. The principal told me to come to him if anyone found out. Edward, my roommate, already seems kind of suspicious. He was asking a lot of questions, and I had to leave before he found out."

"I think that what you're doing is crazy," she said. "But you shouldn't give up after one day, I agree. But have you thought about what might happen if he does find out. For all you know, he could be a delinquent."

"I was thinking the exact same thing, but how can I stay?" Suddenly, I was desperate. I didn't want to leave, not at all.

"You seem smart, but if this Edward does find out, then you have to leave. For now, just try and fit in as best you can. I would never try what you're doing, but do you have everything organized?" She asked.

"Yeah, everything was planned before I got here. The principal gave me permission. God, I shouldn't be saying all of this, but I had to tell someone. Sorry about lying before, it was stupid."

"It's fine, but remember one thing, you can't fall in love with Edward. If you do, you might be tempted to tell him."

"Believe me, I'm going to be freaked out when he's in the room, so there's no problem with that, but he's gorgeous. He has the most beautiful green eyes." I smiled just thinking about his eyes and hair.

"Thanks for your advice Chrissie, I'll probably need another haircut soon," I said, waving.

There was no way that I was going to fall in love with Edward, and I would just have to be a little more careful from now on, but this meant that I had to buy new pajamas. Telling Chrissie had been refreshing for some reason.

After finishing my errands, I headed back to my room, well, Edward's room too. After changing in the car, I came in and he looked up from the book he was reading.

"Hey, I'm sorry," I said in my fake voice. "I get kind of nervous around strangers."

"So, anyway, what's your story?" He asked me, curious. Shit, what was I supposed to say?

"My parents travel a lot, so I was sent off to boarding school, how about you?" Thank god I didn't sound nervous anymore.

"I just wanted to get ready for college, and see what it was like to be away from home. My parents have enough money. I got a partial scholarship, but my grades weren't good enough to secure a full one. I also just got out of a nasty relationship, and wanted to get out of the house because of that too."

"What, girls annoy you or something?" I asked defensively. "What was so bad about it?"

Did boys even talk about things like this? He was the one who brought it up, but he hadn't elaborated or anything. I needed to act more normal, this wasn't good.

"No, I just wanted to get away. Why are you getting pissed off?" He sounded angry. Not good, not good.

"No reason," I said quickly.

He looked at me more closely, and I turned my face away.

"Do you have a problem?" I asked rudely. No, I couldn't get into an argument with him. He was way stronger than me, and if it got into a fight, I would lose.

The fact that my roommate hated me was really complicating things. I needed to fix this somehow, but I had no idea how boys apologized to each other. Hopefully, he wasn't the type to hold grudges.

"I'm going to go get something to eat downstairs, see you later, Mike." He pronounced my name strangely, and I knew that he was suspicious. I needed to do a better job acting like a guy or else he would know that I was a girl.

**Thank you for all of your reviews! I hope you like this chapter, and please review!**


	4. Fight

**Disclaimer- I do not own Twilight. **

My roommate hated me, and it was only the first day. I had no idea what his personality was like; maybe he was the violent type, or impulsive, I didn't know. What was I going to do? I had to find out more about him.

I rushed out of the room, almost running into someone again. Principal Franklin was the best person to visit; he was bound to know something about this Edward guy.

"Principal Franklin," I said as I burst into his room. I took off my sunglasses and hat.

"Ms. Swan, can I help you with anything?" He asked me politely.

The hairdresser had been helpful, but the only one who could help me right now was Mr. Franklin.

"Principal, I need some information on my roommate," I said quickly. "His name is Edward Cullen, and he hates me now. I don't want to leave the school, but if he is some delinquent, then I'm going to need a new room or something. I'm sorry to be such a burden, but I didn't know who else to ask. Of course, if you already have all of the rooms organized, then I will do my best to…"

I was speaking so fast, and the principal looked annoyed. He was shaking his head.

"Ms. Swan, are you saying that you have a roommate?"

"Yes," I said, breathing quickly.

"This is a huge problem, and I don't know if I can find you another room. We had so many people enrolled this year that I almost ignored your application."

"No, sir, I think that I can keep my identity a secret, that's not the problem. It's just that Edward Cullen, my roommate, already hates me. If you could simply tell me whether or not he gets angry easily. From what I understand, you have letters of recommendation or something for every student," I said desperately.

Principal Franklin proceeded to look into his files, and took out a folder that said "Edward Cullen." He started sifting through it and took out three letters of recommendation.

"I don't know if this is legal," he said hesitantly. "This is Mr. Cullen's personal information."

"Please just tell me what kind of a person he's like," I said. "I don't want his grades or medical records or anything, I just need to know whether or not he'll hurt me."

"According to these letters, Edward is a very calm boy who is helpful, responsible, and participates in class discussions. He seems to be a very good student in general," Principal Franklin said. "Apparently, he gets along well with others easily too, so I don't know how you managed to get into a fight on the first day."

I smiled, and felt like hugging Principal Franklin. This Edward person seemed okay, but I would have to make peace with him somehow.

"Thank you so much sir," I said, excited. "It was all a small misunderstanding, and I'm sure I'll be able to clear everything up, so it should be fi—"

Principal Franklin proceeded to cut me off, and I was surprised. Had I said something wrong? There was a genuine look of concern on his face, and I had no idea why.

"Ms. Swan" he started, hesitating.

"Yes?"

"Are you comfortable with this? You do realize that this means you are going to be sharing a room with a boy," he said seriously.

"Sir, I understand, but…" Cut off again.

"Ms. Swan, it seemed fine at the time, but now, I don't know if this is a good idea. Forks High School is a fine institution, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a school for boys," he said, frowning.

"Principal Franklin, I can handle it, trust me," I told him, smiling.

"That's a little hard for me to do, since you seem to be fine with the fact that you will be living with a boy for the rest of the year. It's a little unsettling for me."

"Your concern is appreciated," I said. "But I am in no danger. If Mr. Cullen does not find out my true identity, then there should be no problem."

"That's precisely the problem," he argued. "Keeping your gender secret. How long can you hide the fact that you're a girl? One day he'll probably find out by accident, and it will be a shock for both of you."

"Don't worry, I have complete control over the situation," I said confidently.

"Alright, but please inform me if anything happens," he said.

"Absolutely," I said, grinning. "I can't thank you enough for your help."

I pulled my hat back on, and my sunglasses before leaving. Now, how was I supposed to apologize to Edward? He didn't seem like a horrible guy, and to be honest it was both of our faults.

I slowly went out of the Principal's office, quietly closing the door behind me. I felt myself bump into someone, the second time today, and if it was Edward, then I was screwed.

"Watch where you're going, shrimp," a nasty voice said.

Okay, this definitely wasn't Edward, not even close. I looked up, and saw this blonde guy who had long hair tied up in a ponytail. He looked scruffy, and something about his attitude sent chills down my spine.

"Um," I said. "Sorry."

My fake voice was steadily improving, and it was amazing how good it could be when I felt like I was seconds away from a fight.

"Who are you?" He demanded angrily.

"No one of consequence," I said quietly, getting ready to make a run for it.

"You know what, I think I should teach you a lesson, and…" He was cut off by someone new approaching us.

"James, give it a rest." It was none other than Edward Cullen. "Do you really want to start a fight right next to the principal's office?"

"Do I look like I care? This asshole ran into me, and I think that it's only…"

"Only fair for you to leave now, right? Is that what you were going to say?" Edward asked calmly, but it sounded kind of dangerous at the same time.

This wasn't good, and for several reasons. Edward realized that I wasn't as strong as the other boys, and the fact that he'd protected me might mean that he was realizing that I was a girl.

"Whatever Cullen," James muttered, walking off.

"Thank you," I whispered to Edward.

Edward was grimacing, and shaking his head. The look that he was giving me was even worse; he thought I was an idiot, and it made me even angrier.

We quietly walked back to the room, not even looking at each other once. How was I supposed to apologize if he wouldn't look at me? Once we entered the room, he turned the light on, and slammed the door shut, making me jump back.

"How much of an idiot are you?" He asked me, half yelling.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, raising my voice. "I ran into him, big deal. That James guy didn't have to get so angry about it."

"Do you even realize what kind of a reputation James has at this school?" Edward demanded.

"No, obviously not, I just got here. Tell me, what is his reputation?" I asked Edward rudely.

"He's known as the most violent boy in the school, and for you to be picking fights with him is just…horrifying." Edward was now shaking his head.

"If he's so dangerous, then why did you even bother to intervene?" I asked finally.

"Because he would have beaten your ass to a bloody pulp, that's why."

I stayed quiet. Did that mean that Edward had risked himself just to prevent James from beating me up?

"Thanks Edward," I said. That was the least I could do.

"Just stay away from him; he's at least seven inches taller than you, and to be picking fights with him, is idiotic," Edward said after a while.

"No problem."

"Hey, why were you coming out of the principal's office anyway? Are you already in trouble on the first day?" Edward asked. He seemed mildly amused.

I doubt that he would keep that dumb smirk on his face if I told him that I had been asking the principal about him.

"No reason, I was just rearranging my schedule," I lied.

"Sure, whatever."

Next day…

It was lunchtime, and I had nowhere to sit. Classes were boring, and not particularly hard. Things with Edward had gotten worse since he'd stopped James, and I felt like I was digging myself into an even deeper hole. I wondered if it would just be easier to simply tell him I was a girl, but I didn't want to ruin my experience.

The cafeteria was fairly crowded, and I decided to sit at a table near a corner away from everyone else; the less attention I drew to myself, the better. I pulled out my math homework, wanting to get it out of the way, when a thin boy who was maybe five seven pulled out a chair, and sat next to me.

"Hey," he said.

He had glasses on, a short haircut, and kind of reminded me of a child.

"Um, hi," I said to the boy in front of me. He looked like one of those smart guys who were nice but not popular.

"I'm Evan, what about you?" He asked.

His question was innocent enough. Evan was probably looking for a friend, and had most likely decided to sit with me since I was alone.

"B…Mike," I said, automatically catching my mistake. "I'm Mike."

"Oh, are you studying math?" Evan asked me.

It was a lot easier to talk to him than anyone else, and my voice sounded more like a boy's.

"Yeah, it's not too bad, but I'm stuck on this one problem," I said, frowning.

"Oh, it took me a while to solve that one, want me to explain it? I finally figured it out after a minute," he said cheerfully.

Was he joking? A minute? Okay, yep, this guy was definitely good at math, no doubt about it.

"Please," I said, handing him my paper.

Evan started this long explanation, and I caught most of it. He seemed to know what he was doing, and I could easily see myself being friends with him.

"Wow, thanks!" I said gratefully. "I've never had someone explain a math problem to me so thoroughly! Are you some kind of math genius?"

Evan looked down, embarrassed. Hadn't I complimented him just now? Wasn't being called a genius a good thing?

"Oh, um, I'm okay. Sorry, I wasn't trying to show off or anything," he said quickly.

"Hey, if I offended you in any way, I'm sorry," I said. He looked up at me, nervous.

"No, it's my fault. People usually make fun of me for being good at math. I solve problems really quickly, and they just mock me," he said sadly.

"Well, whoever those people are, they're losers. You really helped me just now, and I think it's cool that you're so good at math, not many people can do problems like that so quickly," I told him, smiling.

The bell rang, and I sighed. Honestly, I didn't want to go to any more classes, they were too boring.

"Well, I'll see you later Evan," I called as I left.

Well, was Evan my first friend? Was it even safe to make friends at an all boys school? I glanced at my schedule and saw that I had Biology next.

As I entered the room, I felt like walking right back out. Edward was already seated, and I could see James talking to some other guy in the back.

"All right class, settle down. Now, I don't want any trouble this year, so please follow instructions. I will be assigning seats, and you may not switch with anyone, am I making myself clear?" He asked the class which was dead silent. "Good."

People were automatically going to their seats, and I froze once he called my name because my new Biology partner was Edward. How was this possible?

"Hi," I mumbled.

Edward paid no attention to me, and focused on his textbook. The worst part was that James was three rows in front of me.

Today was only a lecture, and didn't require us to talk to each other. I still didn't know what to do about Edward, but since he was my biology partner, I had to fix this problem quickly. The bell rang, and I flew out of the room at an unbelievable speed. Next class was gym. My baggy clothes were working out perfectly.

"I'm Coach Winston, but most people just call me Coach W," Coach W informed us.

I was pleased to know that I could keep up with most of the boys, and that today had only been running. Finally, classes ended, and I went back up to my room, or our room, and found Edward already there.

"I passed by your table and saw you sitting with Evan," Edward said, not even bothering to greet me.

"Yeah, is there a problem with that?" I demanded.

"You might want to know that there are rumors that are always surrounding him, so if you value your social life, you might not want to hang out with him," Edward informed me calmly.

I was filled with rage for some reason. It wasn't like I had a crush on Evan, but for Edward to be able to insult him so easily without feeling any guilt pushed me over the edge.

"Edward," I said angrily. "Unlike you, Evan was very nice to me, so I don't care if he has some reputation of being weird because I disagree. He seemed pleasant and normal, so I made friends with him. If you have some firsthand experience of him harassing someone, then let me know, but right now, he seems to be the victim."

"It's your life," he said, shrugging.

I went up to Edward and did something that I never thought I would have done in my life; I punched him in the face.

"What the hell was that for?" He shouted, checking his nose to make sure that it wasn't broken. "It's bleeding now!"

"It's to teach you a lesson," I said firmly. "It doesn't even seem like you know Evan, and you're already judging him. Or maybe this has to do with the fact that you find pleasure by trying to alienate me from my friends."

"I'm just trying to help you," he protested.

"You're trying to help me by insulting someone? Is that was you consider helpful? If you dislike me, then that's one thing, but stay out of my social life," I snapped, glaring furiously.

"Why are you so annoying? There's something that pisses me off when I'm around you, and I hate the fact that you're my biology partner," he said.

"What do you find so annoying?

"Oh, I don't know, because maybe you punched me in the face, and never apologized," he said sarcastically.

"I had a right to do that. You were criticizing Evan, and someone needed to put you in your place," I said, pointing at him.

"I'm going to stay in a hotel for now; I can't stand you." Edward grabbed some clothes, his wallet, and started walking out.

"Good," I yelled through the doorway. "And don't come back anytime soon because I don't want to see your face."

I slammed the door shut, and locked it. But I would be lying if I said that I was glad that he was gone. My original plan had been to at least try and get along, but I'd punched him instead. Then I realized something; Edward wasn't a terrible guy after all. Yes, he was rude and a jerk, but there was one thing that he hadn't done; he hadn't hit me after I'd punched him.

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